[accidental video]

[anothersoul]

[The video camera shows Mami's apartment--richly furnished but empty. Nothing but a few dishes on a glass table and the light coming from a sliding glass door are seen. Nobody's home. That is, until the noise of an opening door. Lights flicker on as someone flips a light switch.]

Mother, Father... I'm sorry I was out later than usual.

[Mami walks into the view of the camera. She doesn't look around and instead just puts her schoolbag near the table with a heavy sigh, looking a bit more ragged than usual.] I understand that I could probably have returned sooner but not tonight. It was busy.

[As Mami talks, she picks up the dirty dishes and moves out of sight of the camera. There's noises of someone putting water into a pot.] I believe I've made a couple of new friends. I'm sure you would have gotten along well with them.

I hope you weren't too mad at having a strange man in the apartment. He was very cordial, as you remember. I used your recipe, Mother. [Mami re-appears as she sets the table again: for one person.] Don't worry about me, I promise I've been taking care of myself.

[Mami sits down at the glass table, pouring herself a cup of tea. She continues talking to herself but the video cuts out.]

Comments

[voice]

[oceanicbutterfly]

...Tomoe-san. It's recording.

[voice]

[anothersoul]

I've noticed... Ah, sorry about that, Minazuki-san.

[voice]

[oceanicbutterfly]

[Mami what are you apologizing for. IS RETASU CONTAGIOUS?]

It's fine.

...welcome home. [Wow she feels silly saying that.]

[voice]

[anothersoul]

[Obviously she's sorry for showing everyone her lonely.

And wow, that's really nice. If a bit silly.]

Thank you. It's been a long day.

[voice]

[oceanicbutterfly]

[Karen knows from experience that everyone always wants to see your lonely.]

[Well, might as well roll with it, since that's apparently what they're doing.] Oh? What happened?

[voice]

[anothersoul]

[Better to talk about anything but her lonely.]

Extra curricular activities. [Monster hunting.]

[voice]

[oceanicbutterfly]

Of course. They can be rather tiring.

[How suspiciously vague. MAMI-SAN KAREN WILL FIGURE YOU OUT SOONER OR LATER]

[voice]

[anothersoul]

Extremely. Do you do such things?

[MAMI-SAN'S MAGICAL GIRLS ENSES ARE TINGLING ARE YOURS KAREN]

[voice]

[oceanicbutterfly]

Not as much recently. I keep expecting to be dragged back in any day now, though.

[KAREN'S MAGICAL GIRL SENSE HAS BEEN TINGLING FOR A WHILE NOW but sometimes she gets false positives so she's just going to gradually steer the conversation that way and see what happens.]

[voice]

[anothersoul]

I've been pretty busy for nearly a year. Must be nice to have a break once in a while.

[voice]

[oceanicbutterfly]

It's hard not to worry about everyone who's still involved in such things, though. I feel as though I should be helping.

[voice; locked]

[anothersoul]

We're not talking merely about clubs now, are we?

[MAGICAL GIRL SENSES THROUGH THE ROOF]

[voice; locked]

[oceanicbutterfly]

We weren't even talking about clubs from the start, I think.

[voice; locked]

[anothersoul]

Are you like Kise-san, then?

[voice; locked]

[oceanicbutterfly]

There are some differences in the details, but yes. Cure Aqua, Pretty Cure of Intelligence, at your service.

[voice; locked]

[anothersoul]

I have no title, other than maybe protector of Mitikihara City. I'm very surprised to see other magical girls here that seem to follow more traditional roles.

[voice; locked]

[oceanicbutterfly]

More traditional roles?

[voice; locked]

[anothersoul]

Which is to say, from what I've heard from Kise-san and about the Bad End Kingdom and Precure and all that... It seems more like the anime. Most of the time, in my experience, magical girls don't fight together.

[voice; locked]

[oceanicbutterfly]

I see.

[There's a pause. This isn't necessarily a SHOCKING TWIST, and in fact it's entirely consistent with what she already knows about magical girls in Mami's world, but:]

It shouldn't be that way.

[voice; locked]

[anothersoul]

You're right. It's completely inefficient--there's more enemies than a single person can fight alone.

[voice; locked]

[oceanicbutterfly]

I'm not talking about efficiency.

[voice; locked]

[anothersoul]

I guessed.

[voice; locked]

[oceanicbutterfly]

Tomoe-san, I don't have to tell you your own situation.

[voice; locked]

[anothersoul]

I understand the dangers. I also understand the dangers of fighting alongside other magical girls.

[voice; locked]

[oceanicbutterfly]

You understand the physical dangers.